The Promise of Words

If words could do justice to what I feel right now, there would be no need for pictures that stir the soul. But I need pictures, and I need words, to express my deep emotions. A word, a photo, a song, a poem. This is what I use to express the deep of who I am. I am more than simply words, more than just a picture. The real heart of a person is found, not in faces, clothes, or mere, flat words. We exist in soul. We are found in words that express heartfelt emotion; in soul-stirring photos that mean more than proper lighting and placement. We are found by expressing who we are beneath the surface to others who respond in kind. We begin to understand one another by sharing our hearts.

 

 

Picture the pastel glow of early sun-rising. Light breaking over pale gray mountains as purple fog slowly drifts and begins to fade over the valley of long, wild grass undulating in the soft wind. Picture the thrill of being able to stand on a pinnacle a look around at this breath-taking beauty. This beauty of a fresh day.

 

 

A day of hope, with the promise of happiness.

 

 

 

A day of foreboding, with the promise of heart-break.

 

 

Anything could happen today.

 

Anything is possible.

 

Look at all this and tell me life is surface. I dare you. Tell me life has no meaning. That we evolved from nothing, from meaningless matter. Look at the emotion one paragraph, one photograph can make you feel, and tell me that there is not a God. I dare you.

 

God created beauty. God created life. “Without him nothing was made that has been made.” Acknowledge Him. Give Him glory for the promise of words; the promise of the Word. For “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John 1:1-5

NIV

 

 

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

ESV

The Glory of CHRISTmas

Today, as I was driving home from work, the song "Should’ve Been Me" by Citizen Way came on the radio. I was singing along and all of a sudden it hit me, once again, how much Christ gave up for me. For us. I found myself in tears thinking of all He suffered. I mean, Christ was gruesomely tortured. What they did to Him caused His head to swell up to twice its normal size. His body was raw skin, whip lashes, chunks of skin missing, beyond recognition. He hardly looked human.

 

And it was not an ambiguous “they” who destroyed Him so. It was me. My sinful selfishness put every wound on His body. Every sin I ever committed, every sin I ever will commit, earned that just punishment. It was my just dessert to have inch long thorns beat into my head; chunks of flesh ripped off my body; hands and feet nailed to the harsh bark of an unforgiving cross, bleeding to death as I struggle for a full breath I can never quite gain. God turning away; refusing me because of the filth of my sins – eternal separation. This is what I deserve.

 

But, no.

 

O!!! Glorious God!!!!!!!

Jesus, You volunteered to take my proper punishment upon Your unblemished self. To suffer the degrading humiliation of becoming human in order to redeem my soul from hell. How dare I fail to remember how much You gave up for deplorable me?

 

I look at myself, all my faults, sins, and failures, and it is easy to say “worthless.”

 

Yet, You look at me and say, “Redeemably Priceless.”

 

 

Revel in the wonder of that statement for a long moment. “Redeemably Priceless.” You.

 

Now, ponder this:

 

“God Loves Me.”

 

Make it personal. Put your name in there. Marvel over it.

 

So often we take for granted what Christ did for us, what God suffered when He rejected His only Son because of our sins. Especially at Christmastime, I see evidence everywhere of people taking for granted the gift of Christ the Lord. I’m guilty of it myself.

 

It’s so easy to romanticize the Christmas story; to think about the sweet baby resting gently in the hay surrounded by a loving family and peaceful animals, a starry night filled with angels singing praises to God in front of simple shepherds.  We do not stop often enough to think about how much was sacrificed for Christ to come.

 

The King of the Universe gave up the untold glories of heaven for the stench of a tiny, mucky, filthy stable. A hole-in-the-wall place after living in heavenly mansions! He gave up needing nothing at all to become a child, unable to communicate anything except by crying.

 

And Mary had to change His diapers! She gave up her reputation. She almost had to give up her fiancé. She probably lost all her friends and she gave up being able to experience the joy of sharing all the “firsts” of having a baby with her mother and sisters.

 

Joseph, by listening to the angel and obeying God had to live with the shame of everyone thinking he had dishonored his betrothed. And he had the sudden responsibility of a wife and child all at once.

 

The glory of the Christmas story does not lie in the setting; it resides in the beautiful fact that Mary, Joseph, and God, Himself were willing to give up everything for Love, for Agape Love. For Immanuel. God with us.

 

It is no wonder the angels sang. That the earth could not help but quake at His death. The Lord came. He walked among us. Never forget the glory of Christmas.

 

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which means, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

 

"Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows...

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53: 4a, 5 (NIV)

 

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has pronounced."

Psalm 105:3, 5 (NIV)

The One Free Gift

I once was lost
Wandering in sin
When Jesus called to me
And said, "Enter in,
I will make you clean
If you only believe
I will make you new
If you simply receive."
I answered, "O Lord,
Worthy I'm not!
I've done some bad things
I've messed up a lot
But if you will have me
I'll gladly accept
This gift freely offered
To pay off my debt
I'll be fully Yours
I'll follow Your way
Lord, give me a heart
That wants to obey!"

Surrender

One of my favorite songs.

Surrender

We need to know

We know what we need

It’s You

You tell us to

To leave it in Your hands

But we always try

Yeah, we always try

To take it back again

Surrender, Surrender

It’s all we gotta do

Surrender, Surrender

It’s all our will to You

Surrender, Surrender

We don’t need to know

’Cause You know it all

Our job is to give

To You

We need a stronghold

Something to hold us strong

It’s You

You tell us to

To just hold on to You

But we always try

Yeah, we always try

To cling to something else

Surrender, Surrender

It’s all we gotta do

Surrender, Surrender

It’s all our will to You

Surrender, Surrender

We don’t want another

’Cause You are our all

Our job is to hold

On You

We live and learn

We learn to live

Not for the here and now

But for eternity

When we will be with God

No pain or suffering

Love will fill the gaps

And we will be free

Yeah, we will be free

Surrendered, Surrendered

It’s all we’re gonna be

Surrendered, Surrendered

It’s all our will, You see

Surrendered, Surrendered

We give You our all

’Cause You are our life

Our job is to live

For You

Well, I Shall Try.

I had a Xanga once apon a time. But instead of trying to revive it I have decided to create this blog instead. I cannot promise I'll keep it up that well, but I shall try. ;)
I will be posting whatever it is God puts on my heart and probably some of my writing. *gulp*
Anyway, the main point of this blog is to serve God by encouraging others with what He's doing in my life.

Blessings,
Tori Lynn